The Phoenix Lander operated the first-ever wet chemistry experiments on the Martian surface. NASA scientists said that the ice and minerals in the Martian soil harvested with a robotic arm seemed to contain the essentials to support life, although more work would be needed to prove it.

The nutrients are among a few positive signs they have picked up since the Phoenix Mars Lander started collecting and testing soil samples last month. The ice found on the northern pole of Mars has been a notably significant find for NASA scientists because robots and astronauts could extract usable, even drinkable, water from it, helping to support a prolonged stay on the Red Planet, according to Ray Arvidson, a co-investigator for the Mars Lander's robotic arm team and a professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

"I think the fact that we found water ice means there's a large reservoir of it," as quoted by ComputerWorld on Friday. "Water is crucial to us as humans, in terms of keeping us going. Water also is a resource that can be processed, in terms of getting oxygen and hydrogen. Finding that water near the surface is important. When you actually go to Mars, you don't want to take that water with you … the fact that the water is close to the surface is good."

On Thursday, NASA scientists declared that their initial analysis found that Martian soil could support life.

The first test results from the wet chemistry laboratory aboard the Mars Lander were received on Wednesday. Earlier this week, the microscopic imager on the Phoenix transmitted pictures of the trench that had been dug by the robotic arm and that contained the tested soil.

The findings showed the dirt there is very alkaline with a pH level of between eight and nine. They've also found. The minerals discovered in the Martian soil - magnesium, sodium, potassium and chloride - are typical on Earth.